Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-14
NAN AND WOMAN.
The UnmanIy, Selfish Argument Of a
Socialistic Defender Of Beer, Domi.
noes and Tobacco
What the Women and Children Endure
the Lord and Master should Not
Shrink From.
Chicago Herald.

Chicago Herald.
The reply of Socialist Morgan to the
address OF the Woman's Christian Tenn
perance society on the question OF tenn
perance was intended to be very smart
production, but il falls far short even Of
pertness. In substance it holds out the
the theory that workingmen are forced
! into the saloons because their homes are
| SO miserably uninviting. Touching on
| this point, Socialist Morgan says: "With
/ but few exceptions the wage worker re-
turns from his days hard labor to home
of one, two or three rooms in a crowded
tenement, TO home where every inch CT
! space is used for the actual necessities
of family life. TO q home Coutsiniug moth
ing to excite him to mental activity, uG-
less it be the fumes Of his upper, with no
room to receive and no means to enter
tain visitors, and he finds in the saloon
relief for his tired hand and BRAIN
| There, with cards and beer and friendly
neighbors, his social instincts find de-
gree Of qualification. The saving of the
race lies in this gregarious instinct, in
the fact that we need each other"
1t mag not have occurred to Mr.. Nor
gan and his Socialistic friends that one of
the surest methods of maintaining q
miserable home and never getting bet
ter one is 10 spend the money which
would provide decent accommodations
on beer and cards IN the saloons. Neither
the workirgman nor the millionaire can
eat his cake and have it, too. II the
former contributes one, two or three dol
lars Il week 10 the saloon which he could
easily save or by wiser eXpendi-
ture secure more attractive home
with, he deliberately cuts off his
chance of improving his condi-
ton. II the latter, by gratifying his ar
petite to excess, encroaCheS on MS CAPT
tai and neglects his business he Will not
DC G millionaire for any great length OF
time. The rule is memorable. Il oper
ates on rich and poor alike. The royal
road to aftluenCe exists no where except
in fiction. Patience, industry and fra
gaIty Sre the three virtues Of domestic
economy, as important in their way as
the Christian graces are to the divine plan
ofrevealed religion. II the rich man eau
not ignore them with safety to himself
now can the poor man expect to?
But if man is 2 gre9ariOus animal, IS
Socialist Morgan is fond Of repeating,
what about woman? If the saving Of the
race lies in this gregariOuS instinct, what
of the workingman's wife, ard children!
Are they, too, To seek cOmpanionsnip aud
relief and recreation i'll the saloon: The
wTetchst tenement which mis- lordship the
soGIGlistic WOrkingman desplses, the
scanty room in which his eagle spirit
chafes and longs for freedom, the mental
activity, and the general UnwhOlesOme-
ness OF the surroundings which he can
not brook even for few minutes IN the
evening, fGll to the lot of his wife during
the whole twenty-four hOuIs. They are
the portion Of herself aGd of her chill
dren, made the more unhappy by know
ledge OF the fact that the husband and
father is 10th to remain in them, and that
he is daily squAnderng in selfish pleas
ure the earnings which, if rightly applied,
would add rooms to the tenement, carpets
and furniture and books and newspapers
to the rooms, and Joy to the occupants.
The whine of Socialist Morgan is not
manly. 1t signifies q spirit which does
not control many American workingmen.
It is the weak excuse of a selfish man, or
else it is put forward as en- excuse to be
used By selfish men. 1t will be laughed
at by thousaudl who frequent saloons
and who kUOw on too well the m ntal
activities which are there excited and the
social pleasures which are there encoun-
tered. 1t will be read s0rroWfGlly
~ thousands OF brave and in
dustrious women bearing pp he
roicaIy under priVation which
might be relieved with the greatest ease,
and with shudder by other thousands
of women who, conscious OF their escape
from such CCmpaUiouship, will neverthe-
less appreciate its full import. The
w0Tkingmgn whose home is not good
enough for him has home that is not
good enough for his wife and children. |
He can no more excuse his expenditures
on himself at other places than q million
aire who kept his family in squalor and
lived himself at the club could excuse his |
c nduct.
1t IS possible that some of the social |
lists Of M. Morgaa'S Csiiber have spent |
so much time in cultivating their mental
activities hat they have forgotten that |
the road to comfort lies through toll. |
The men who rtpiue and seek by various |
stupid suptcTfugrs to escape work and |
who expect to enjoy luxury without thrift
only stand in their own light. They in
weigh against men, but their grievance is
against conditions which men did net
order, and which men are powerless to
change. The socialist is 10 exception 10 |
the rule governing all mankind. II he
finds that the saloon stands in the way OF |
his acquiring b competence, let MIN re- |
n0unCe it. If he will not, he cannot COM !
plain because others who 90 that thing
ousstrip him in the race Of life.